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Norm in The Wave: On Rockaway Branch Lines and Ferries: Poor, Neglected A Train

On Rockaway Branch Lines and Ferries

Taking a break from education issues, I
wanted to get something off my chest regarding reporting on
transportation issues by the Rockaway press and also the politicians.

In my last conversation with Phil Goldfeder, I harangued him for
talking about ferries and branch lines but ignoring discussion on
improving the A train. He promised he would. I may have missed it but so
far haven’t noticed.

Constant talk about getting the MTA to put millions of dollars it
claims it does not have into a dream of a project to rebuild a portion
of rail so people in Rockaway can get into Manhattan in 45 minutes
(tops) instead of an hour (or more). The same goes for the late,
lamented ferry. With the stop in Brooklyn the trip to Wall Street took
50 minutes and sometimes longer. To 34th Street, even longer. And if you
wanted to go after rush hour, it was a no go. Same with late at night.
Don’t get me wrong. It was a nice option and it would be good to have a
ferry that runs all day and into the late evening, but without heavy
subsidies from a city that looks at Rockaway as if it were in Outer
Mongolia, I don’t expect much.

Howie Schwach reported with this story on his web site (www.onrockaway.com):
“The A train remains the major commuter mode of travel from Rockaway to
Manhattan. A recent study said that Rockaway residents have second
longest travel commute in the city.” Howie points out that the average
time for a Rockaway commute – 46.9 minutes – is far off the reality.
More like an hour or more and if you are coming from Mott Avenue or
Rockaway Park and using the shuttle (a few direct A trains run to and
fro during rush hour) it could take much longer if you add waiting time.
The last time I took a midday subway from Rockaway Park, I waited at
Broad Channel for almost a half hour for an A to come. And then there
was that long slog through Brooklyn. Another mid-day trip was a bit
better – the shuttle left within a few minutes and the A came within 7
minutes. Still. (I remember when Anthony Weiner was running for mayor he
put an idea of a third track on the table.)

The shuttle is a real issue for people in Rockaway Park. Personally,
we drive to Newkirk Plaza in Brooklyn and take the Q or B. Some people
drive to Broad Channel or Howard Beach to skip the shuttle.

Last summer we took the 9:30 a.m. ferry – the last one in the morning
– to 34th Street for a matinee. On the way back we decided to take an A
from 42nd Street downtown to Wall Street to get the ferry. But lo and
behold, after a very short wait, a rare A to Rockaway Park showed up and
we decided to take it all the way back to 108th to pick up our car at
the ferry dock. It took an hour. I tried to think about ways to cut some
time off this trip. I was looking at the map as we headed into the area
where the A splits off from Lefferts Boulevard and noticed how easy it
would be for them to get the shuttle instead of us. There are only three
stops between Rockaway Boulevard and Lefferts and the same three stops
between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park. Given the much longer commute,
why shouldn’t Rockaway Park (149th to the 80s) and include Breezy Point
too – get a direct A train? To me a simple fix costing little or
nothing.

Looking at the map, you can see what almost looks like a detour at
Euclid Avenue as it makes a wide loop that includes six stops before
looping back to Howard Beach. Draw a direct line from Euclid to Howard
Beach – imagine a connection between them cutting out that loop. How
much time would that save? Of course the very idea of adding a short cut
between those stations looks like lunacy. But any more lunacy than the
unicorn-like search for the Rockaway Branch Line?

For people at the other end of Rockaway – Mott Avenue, the commute
includes six Rockaway stops, three more than those in Rockaway Park. All
told, there are 23 additional stops between Broad Channel before
hitting Fulton Street in Manhattan (if you’re going to Washington
Heights at the other end of the A, better leave the day before). Are
there ways to speed up this trip without building entire branch lines? I
bet there are. That is the question I would ask our politicians and the
Rockaway press to answer rather than chasing after unicorns.

Norm still avoids the shuttle but doesn’t avoid blogging at ednotesonline.org.

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UFT Election Vote Comparison: 2004-10

A Personal Historical Perspective

Why Karen Lewis Reads Ed Notes

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Effective Union Organizing

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The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

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Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

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GEM's Julie Cavanagh Debates E4E member on NY1 on LIFO and Seniority

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy TysonProfessor of African American Studies and HistoryDuke University

A Familiar Voice on Unions

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strike"- Adolf Hitler, May 2, 1933

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

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Outsource our children

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

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The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

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From Sharon Higgins

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

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Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

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I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Video of Chicago's George Schmidt and CORE Shredding Arne Duncan and the Chicago Corporate Model

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